Could Iran's water crisis be the regime's tipping point?

Drought is a problem. So is government mismanagement.

A view of Amir Kabir Dam, one of the five main reservoirs supplying water to Tehran, as the Iranian capital faces one of its most severe water crises in recent years, with dam levels dropping to historic lows
A view of Amir Kabir Dam, as the Iranian capital faces one of its most severe water crises in recent years
(Image credit: Fatemeh Bahrami / Anadolu via Getty Images)

Tehran is running out of water. Residents of Iran's capital city are working to "stave off catastrophe" brought by climate change and resource mismanagement. The crisis could threaten an Islamic regime already struggling in the aftermath of conflicts with Israel and the United States.

The city of 10 million people could be "weeks away" from a "day zero" in which "taps run dry for large parts of the city," said CNN. Authorities are "scrambling to reduce water consumption" and sounding the alarms. Urgent decisions are needed, or "we will face a situation in the future that cannot be solved," said President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday. The country is in the midst of a terrible drought, but the water supply crisis has been compounded by "excessive groundwater pumping, inefficient farming practices and unchecked urban water use," said CNN. The result "can only be described as water bankruptcy," said Amir AghaKouchak, a civil engineering professor at the University of California, Irvine.

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.